Chapter 38

Xia Zuoyi's decision to bring extra soldiers with him had undoubtedly been the right one.

It was precisely because of that that they had managed to leave the royal city successfully, shake off the royal city knights pursuing them, and temporarily stop in a relatively safe place.

Nat Case cried until his face was covered in tears and snot, looking utterly miserable.

His father, Marco Case, had taken an arrow for him. The arrow had struck his abdomen, knocking him unconscious immediately. Fortunately, Walker and Taylor had managed to save him afterward.

Marco Case lay on the ground with a pale face and bloodless lips, his robes torn to shreds... He looked almost dead.

Walker no longer had any spare ointment.

He reached out to check Marco's breathing. It was very faint, and there was simply no way to provide effective treatment in a place like this...

Walker said nothing, but the expression on his face said it all.

Nat Case immediately burst into tears. "Father, don't die! As long as you live, I'll listen to all your teachings from now on. I... Father?!"

"Cough, cough cough."

Marco Case suddenly clutched his chest and began coughing violently, a faint flush appearing on his face.

He opened his eyes and said weakly, "Cough... Nat, from now on... will you really behave? Cough cough..."

Xia Zuoyi said in delight, "Walker, quickly help the marquis up."

Nat Case froze, then hurried over to support him as well. "F-Father, how are you?"

Marco Case leaned weakly against Walker.

After taking several breaths, he reached out, exerted force, and pulled the arrow from his abdomen. Yet there was not a trace of blood on its tip.

Amid everyone's stunned or astonished expressions, Marco Case took a gold coin, already dented in the middle, from where it rested against his belt.

He looked at Xia Zuoyi and said, "This is the coin the count threw out earlier..."

He had picked up the coin Xia Zuoyi had thrown out to distract the knights and casually placed it at his waist afterward. He had never expected it to save his life by chance.

However, the impact of the arrow had been considerable, and there was also the wound on his back... In the end, Marco Case had fainted from the exhaustion and pain caused by that series of events.

"Creator God bless us!"

Nat Case wiped away the tears covering his face and could not help letting out a long breath of relief.

Xia Zuoyi also felt fortunate.

The Creator God really had blessed them.

He said, "You can't return to the royal city. You and Nat should leave with us."

Marco Case nodded in agreement.

Nat had no objections either. His mother had died long ago and entered the Creator God's embrace. Other than his father, he no longer had any attachments to the royal city.

Besides, since things had reached this point, Bass Riches would never let them go. Leaving the royal city was the best choice.

Although the ointment had run out,

Judith had brought plant medicine with him. They only needed to find a safer place along the way, somewhere less likely to be discovered by royal city knights, and brew it.

As a result, Marco Case's injuries gradually improved.

Along the way, Walker led Taylor and Bana in counterattacks against the royal city knights, clearing away the traces they had left behind them. They finally managed to escape the royal city knights' pursuit.

They were now getting closer and closer to Visas and Komoy Fort.

Late at night, four days later.

The soldiers Walker had sent back at full speed had informed Ferdinand and the others in advance, and the two sides met at a place some distance from Komoy Fort.

Ferdinand led a group of soldiers over. "Where is the count?"

"Shh."

Walker held a finger to his lips, pointed toward Judith, and whispered, "The count is asleep."

For days, they had been fleeing and traveling without pause.

Xia Zuoyi had not relaxed for a long time. His nerves had been tightly strung, and he had barely rested. Even adults could hardly endure that, let alone a child his age...

Now that Visas and Komoy Fort were not far away, the surrounding area had undoubtedly become safer. With Ferdinand on his way as well, everyone's nerves unconsciously relaxed.

Naturally, Xia Zuoyi was no exception.

His eyelids grew heavy, and beneath Judith's pats and embrace, he finally could not hold on any longer and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

When Ferdinand followed Walker's finger and looked over, Xia Zuoyi was lying on Judith's back, one cheek pressed against his shoulder as he let out soft snores.

Upon closer inspection, dark circles beneath his eyes had yet to fade.

The worry in Ferdinand's heart finally settled, and his expression softened. "Let's go. We're heading back."

"Aw, awooo."

Xia Zuoyi lay in bed. He felt something soft and fluffy brushing against his forehead, while affectionate whimpers sounded constantly beside his ears. The scent around him was safe and familiar.

Xia Zuoyi's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes... The first thing he saw was a fluffy white tail tip.

He turned his head. Snowball was curled up beside him, while Coalball lay by his feet.

Feeling soreness and weakness spread through his body, Xia Zuoyi propped himself up on his arms and sat up. His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, "Coalball, Snowball."

"Awoo."

Seeing that he had moved, Coalball and Snowball immediately got up, then nuzzled over and burrowed into his arms.

Hearing the sound, Toby rushed in from the outer room and cried in delight, "The count is awake!"

Not long afterward, Judith, Ferdinand, and the others all entered and gathered around the bed.

Xia Zuoyi asked, "How long was I asleep?"

Judith said, "Only one night, Count."

"We returned to Visas last night. Marquis Case's wounds have already been carefully treated by Yadai, and young master Nat is staying by the marquis's side."

Xia Zuoyi nodded. "That's good."

That afternoon, everyone had more or less settled down and rested. They gathered in the study, Marco Case included, to discuss matters.

Xia Zuoyi asked, "What is the situation in the royal city? Has any news arrived?"

Bass Riches's plan to secretly threaten and coerce the lords had been exposed.

On their way back to Visas, they had not forgotten to leave concealed scouts along the road to gather information about the royal city and ensure they did not miss any important news.

Walker said, "After the church in the royal city was burned down, the temple was also destroyed the next day."

"Now, rumors are spreading throughout Gadayat that Bass Riches's slaughter of the royal family angered the Creator God, and that this was divine punishment from the Creator God... Many estate owners and commoners are resisting him."

However, it had not accomplished much.

Xia Zuoyi guessed that the destruction of Kaies Church and the temple had both been the pope's doing. After all, aside from him, there was probably no one else who would dare do such things in the royal city.

It seemed that Bishop Bolton and the acting bishop would likely meet miserable ends.

He said, "Since Bass Riches dared to plot for the throne, he will not care about the estate owners' and commoners' opinions or rumors."

At most, his reputation would be bad, and his claim to the throne would lack legitimacy.

Walker said, "That's right. Therefore, the latest news from the scouts is that Bass Riches ascended the throne yesterday, and..."

"And what?"

Ferdinand continued in a deep voice, "Before ascending the throne, he killed eleven lords."

"At present, six cities in Gadayat have become places without lords... I suspect Bass Riches's next plan is to send knights to reclaim those lordless territories."

Xia Zuoyi frowned. "Which cities?"

Judith brought over a map of Gadayat and pointed them out to him.

Walker said, "Two of them are very close to Komoy Fort."

"Those two cities absolutely cannot be reclaimed by Bass Riches. Count, we can take those places into our territory before he does."

At the very least, they could not simply sit and wait for death.

Judith asked, "But under what justification?"

Marco Case said, "I recall that the count also has some blood relation to the late king... According to the kingdom's laws, if the royal family has no direct heir, an outstanding person may be selected from a collateral branch to inherit the throne."

Everyone present turned to look at the young lord seated at the head of the table.

Xia Zuoyi said, "..."

He could not help swinging his legs before placing the map back on the table. "Why do I have to be king? I can remain a lord and turn all of Gadayat into my territory."

Ferdinand and Walker exchanged a glance. "Count, you mean...?"

Xia Zuoyi said, "Not one of those six cities can be left to Bass Riches. They all have to be incorporated into my territory."

"Not only that, mark every road, city, and other location leading to Visas and Komoy Fort. Send soldiers to capture them and station troops there."

Since Bass Riches was his absolute enemy, the initiative had to remain in his own hands.

Moreover, the number of Black Cavalry and White Cavalry under his command was simply not comparable to the royal city knights.

Unless the lords who had sided with Bass Riches gathered every knight from their territories in the royal city, they would have no chance of confronting him.

But as long as he defeated them one by one, the threat would be reduced to its lowest point.

He would not simply let the danger and pursuit they had suffered in Kaies Church in the royal city pass. Leaving Bass Riches alive would always be a hidden danger.

Xia Zuoyi said, "Aside from keeping an eye on the royal city, Ferdinand, order some soldiers to gather news from Gaina. We must prevent Bruno Green from contacting Bass Riches and sending knights to support Gadayat."

Ferdinand nodded. "Yes, Count."

Xia Zuoyi was not worried at all that he would lose in his confrontation with Bass Riches.

As had been said before, the number of knights lords could possess was not large.

Even a duke of Gadayat possessed only around one to two hundred knights.

Xia Zuoyi's recruitment plan had originally been meant to strengthen the defenses of Visas and Komoy Fort. Furthermore, the soldiers trained every day without interruption according to military methods, improving their physiques and abilities.

From squads to platoons, even units of different levels coordinated seamlessly with one another and practiced often.

Xia Zuoyi did not believe the soldiers in his territory would lose to the royal city knights.

Time was the key now.

As long as he captured those six cities that had already lost their lords first, he would gain the upper hand.

Certain versions of Safari on iPhones may freeze. This site has been optimized for the issue. If it still occurs, try another browser, such as Google Chrome, or switch back to the default font. Yes, the font is the cause. Please contact us as well, and we will try to improve it.

At the request of our readers, we now offer an ad-free VIP membership feature.

Click to view